Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes

[Nath[BDP]]

Always admired this guy from when I met him @ the Intrepid in the 90s

[Vraciu]

Kind of strange for you to pick Vraciu as your game ID and not ever fly the Hellcat. 

He flew lots of airplanes.   Won the High Individual and Squadron Aerial Gunnery Trophies in the swept-wing FJ Fury.

Was also courted by Leroy Grumman to provide his input on the F8F.   Was on a carrier deploying to the Pacific in F8Fs when the war ended.

I picked him because he is a personal friend and a fantastic fighter pilot.  What I fly is irrelevant.

[Vraciu]

No doubt he would've, had he had a channel 200 and had he still been living. Bet what was left was pretty crispy, given the lack of self-sealing tanks.

As for the commentary, sure, in retrospect, it looks pretty easy. Consider, though, that the pilot in question could not have known with perfect certainty that, just for example, there weren't any escorts about or that he wouldn't get hit by his own flak. There was no kill shooter back then.

As for the turkey shoot, it was only called that ex post facto. It took real courage to go out and fly into that unknown -for the men of both sides. Nobody knew, before it actually happened, what the outcome would be. The same could be said for Bodenplatte. Neither side had perfect knowledge of the other.

It is only the most vulgar of historians that evaluates the past by the standards of today and with the benefit of hindsight. Being generous, I attribute this to simple failure of imagination as opposed to malice.

If you happen to be German (but especially if not), I'd suggest a quick perusal of Guy Sajer's Forgotten Soldier, specifically Captain Wesreidau's speech. The latter neatly predicted both the outcome and the ignorance of those that would evaluate what had transpired. Besides, the speech is both profound and prophetic and worthwhile under any context.

Finally, I sense a bit of ad hominem here, just because it was Vrac who posted. That seems unnecessary and an unfair transit to the subject of the post; a completely different individual.

 

[Vraciu]

Always admired this guy from when I met him @ the Intrepid in the 90s

The lion in winter.   One of--if not THE--nicest, humblest, and decent men I have ever met in my life.   I remember reading about him in CARRIER WAR in 1st grade.   That picture holding up his six fingers was seared into my memory.   I was a fan right then.

[guncrasher]

He flew lots of airplanes.   Won the High Individual and Squadron Aerial Gunnery Trophies in the swept-wing FJ Fury.

Was also courted by Leroy Grumman to provide his input on the F8F.   Was on a carrier deploying to the Pacific in F8Fs when the war ended.

I picked him because he is a personal friend and a fantastic fighter pilot.  What I fly is irrelevant.

you were friends with him?


semp

[Vraciu]

you were friends with him?


semp

I still am.  He is with us.  95 years young.  He is the highest scoring American Ace still alive.

[guncrasher]

I still am.  He is with us.  95 years young.  He is the highest scoring American Ace still alive.

so you are a personal friend of his?  I was named after Paul McCartney, I love his music from the beginning to the last one recorded.  I own every single song.  but we arent exactly friends.

so the question still stands.


semp

[Vraciu]

so you are a personal friend of his?  I was named after Paul McCartney, I love his music from the beginning to the last one recorded.  I own every single song.  but we arent exactly friends.

so the question still stands.


semp

I already said it. YES.  I am a personal friend of Alex Vraciu.  He lives in Danville, CA.   I eat dinner with him regularly--when I am in the area on an overnight--and he won't ever let me pay for it.   That's the kind of guy he is.   A war hero who won't let anyone pick up the tab.  

What does this have to do with anything?

The man is all class.  Take your pedantic nonsense to another thread, please. Have some flippin' respect.  Sheesh.

[zack1234]

These colonials pilots look like hollywood actors

There was a massive colonial population in my home town during WWII

My town has a reputation for having good looking people

I will try and feel sorry for those Japanese pilots he owned but if I can't I won't loose any sleep

[FLOOB]

What made Vraciu cooler than most pilots wasn't his fighting in the air, it was the unpilot-like manly fighting he did on the ground when he lead resistance fighters in the Phillipines.

Also, as I've seen in interviews, he's very cool and non emotive like me. Manly indeed.

[GScholz]

I already said it. YES.  I am a personal friend of Alex Vraciu.  He lives in Danville, CA.   I eat dinner with him regularly--when I am in the area on an overnight--and he won't ever let me pay for it.   That's the kind of guy he is.   A war hero who won't let anyone pick up the tab.  

That's truly awesome. I envy you.

[guncrasher]

I already said it. YES.  I am a personal friend of Alex Vraciu.  He lives in Danville, CA.   I eat dinner with him regularly--when I am in the area on an overnight--and he won't ever let me pay for it.   That's the kind of guy he is.   A war hero who won't let anyone pick up the tab.  

What does this have to do with anything?

The man is all class.  Take your pedantic nonsense to another thread, please. Have some flippin' respect.  Sheesh.

in that case if you are using his name dont be a buttonhole sometimes on the bb.


semp

[PJ_Godzilla]

 

That's two very funny posts in a row.

[olds442]

Jesus Christ people someone can't even post a historical event with out it turning into a spiral cluster ****, how about lets stop with the personal attacks for say 5 minutes.

[Masherbrum]

in that case if you are using his name dont be a buttonhole sometimes on the bb.


semp

+2